The invention relates to a new and improved cow udder cleaning or sanitizing apparatus and method to be used in a milking parlor, and more particularly to an automated system that sprays disinfectant onto a cow""s udder.
In a typical milking operation a claw is connected to the cow""s udder to extract the milk by providing a low pressure to draw the milk out from the udder. When a cow is finished being milked the cow""s udder must be cleaned with a disinfectant such as iodine to prevent infection. Traditionally this process is accomplished by a person who cleaned each udder by hand with a spraying device. This required having an extra person on staff and oftentimes the udder was not thoroughly cleaned.
The present invention comprises an automated cleaning system that cleans a cow""s udder with a disinfectant such as iodine before or after she has been milked. The system is to be implemented in a circular milking parlor that basically consists of a circular platform about 40-100 ft. in diameter that concentrically rotates about its center. The circular platform has 20-100 slots (i.e. stalls) around the perimeter where cows stand while being milked. The cows are facing radially inward toward the center and are separated by radially extending rails. There is a fixed railing that circumferentially surrounds the circular platform and the platform rotates 360 degrees in a six to twenty minutes while the cows are being milked. After about 180 degrees of rotation from the location where the cow has entered the slot, the milking of the cow has been completed and the milking gear is automatically removed from a cow""s udder.
This apparatus of the present invention comprises a movable swivel arm that is activated by sensors that cause the arm to move to a location in-between the cow""s legs and spray the udder with disinfectant. The portion of the arm that extends radially inwardly between the cow""s hind legs is made of a flexible, durable material. At the end of this arm portion is a nozzle for dispensing disinfectant. The cleaning apparatus remains at a fixed position at a location after from the location where the cow enters. The apparatus is mounted on a fixed railing (or other stationary structure) that circumferentially extends around the rotating circular platform and the cleaning of the cow""s udder is the last part of the milking procedure before a cow backs out of a stall after about 300-350 degrees of travel from where she entered the stall.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,506 Van der Burg et al. patent discloses the broad concept of automatically dispensing disinfectant to a cow after it has been milked. More specifically as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, milking robot 8 is movably connected to upper frame portion 4 so it can slide left or right in FIG. 1. The position and orientation of the cow and exactly how the arm 46 gets under the cow is not completely understood. Apparently the robot arm 46 is positioned in under the cow by cylinders 47 and 52 and teat cups 53 and 54 engage the teats (see FIG. 2, plan view of the apparatus). The arms 44 and 45 are raised to engage the teats and lowered to disengage after milking.
The post milking cleaning system (as described in column 12 line 38+) as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 comprises a spray nozzle 108 positioned at the end of robot arm 46. This spray nozzle 108 discharges a fan-shaped spray pattern forward in front of the teat cups.
The following patents also turned up in the applicant""s search. These are less relevant and are grouped by manual dispensing systems, timed stationary apparatuses and chemical germicides. The manual systems include:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,251 Green et al, shows a germicide applicator for cow udder that utilizes a dispensing wand. Valves allow metering of both lactic acid and sodium chlorite. As seen in FIG. 1, supplies 12 and 14 each hold these liquids. Pump 16 delivers liquid through the check valves 54 and 24 and through the lines 32. The reservoir 28 contains a float switch 60. When the fluid level is low in reservoir 28 the float switch sends a signal to the OR gate 64 which emits a signal to deactivate the pressure source 58. Return line 50 allows a return passage for fluid through manual valve 54.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,731,300 Jansen, shows a cow washer that assists an operator to manually clean a cow""s udder. FIGS. 5 and 6 shows a nozzle means 18 where ball 31 will cut off communication with wither nozzle 22 or 23, whichever is beneath the other. As seen in FIG. 2 the nozzle means 18 can be rotated 180 degrees to use nozzle 23 which may have a different spray width.
The timed stationary system patents include:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,685,262 and 5,101,770 Stevenson, shows a post-milking and pre-milking udder care system. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 the applicator 20 comprises nozzles 23 to dispense liquid. The dispersion of liquid through applicator 20 is controlled by the control knob 10 (FIG. 1).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,166 Belden, shows an udder spraying device such as the ones used in the above cited Stevenson patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,685,262 and 5,101,770. As seen in FIG. 3 the carriage plate 53 slides along the upper surface of a support plate 58 so the spraying unit may be positioned under the cow.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,968,564 Luks, shows a milking parlor in which there are spray nozzles directed at the cow""s upper region. The spray nozzles 17 and 49 are activated by valve 61 that can be changed by lever 62.
The chemical patents are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,479 Pallows et al, discloses a germicidal teat dip to reduce or prevent mastitis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,959 Lauermann et al, is directed to a compound for the disinfecting of teats.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,428 Foll et al, relates to an udder disinfecting preparation comprising an iodophor.
None of the disclosures disclose a cow udder cleaning apparatus that can be retrofitted to an existing milking parlor that consistently and accurately administers disinfectant to a cow""s udder.
The present invention is a cow udder dipping apparatus which can clean or disinfect a cow""s udder before or after she has been milked where the apparatus has a mounting structure which moves with respects the location of the cows to be cleaned. Located on this mounting structure is a positioning system which comprises an extension arm and actuator. The extension arm has a path of travel which is adapted to extend underneath the udder of the cow which is in a cleaning location to a cleaning position. When the extension arm is in the cleaned position a dispersion portion on the extension arm sprays cleaning or disinfecting material onto the cow""s udder. The actuator then withdrawals the extension arm into a protracted position.